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Boston Hotel Buckminster
Boston Hotel Buckminster
	Boston Hotel Buckminster with Sovereign Bank sign in foreground

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Boston Hotel Buckminster, formerly Hotel Buckminster and briefly Hotel St. George, is a historic hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located on the triangular intersection of Beacon Street and Brookline Avenue in Kenmore Square. Along with the Hotel Commonwealth, it is one of two hotels located within one block of Fenway Park, the oldest baseball stadium in the nation and home to the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.

History

Construction

The hotel, built in 1897, was designed for Arnold A. Rand by Boston architects Winslow & Wetherell,^[1] architects of many large hotels and office buildings. At the time of its construction, the Hotel Buckminster was one of the first hotels in Boston and the largest building in Kenmore Square.^[2]

Black Sox Scandal

On September 19, 1919, on a day that the Chicago White Sox defeated the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park 3–2, bookmaker and gambler Joseph "Sport" Sullivan went to the Hotel Buckminster room of Arnold "Chick" Gandil, first baseman for the Chicago White Sox. There they conspired to fix the 1919 World Series, which was to take place thirteen days later, for personal gain. When the "Black Sox Scandal" was revealed it led to eight White Sox players, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, being banned from Major League Baseball for life. Also banned was Joe Gedeon, a second baseman for the St. Louis Browns who had placed a bet on the game and later informed to White Sox owner Charles Comiskey in hopes of getting a reward. The 1988 movie Eight Men Out is based on this scandal.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

WNAC radio and television

In 1929, pioneer station WNAC Radio moved to new studios inside the Hotel Buckminster, with the entrance on the Brookline Avenue side (21 Brookline Avenue), which would become the station's home for the next four decades. WNAC made history in January 1923 by linking up with New York's WEAF for the first chain broadcast (it lasts for only five minutes), and later formed a new company known as the Yankee Network. A second station (WAAB) was added at the same location (eventually moving to Worcester as today's WVEI). A pioneer FM station was added in the late 1930s. Later, WNAC converted most of its studio space into one of Boston's first television studios and began broadcasting on Channel 7 in June, 1948. For the next twenty years, WNAC operated an AM, FM and television station in the hotel basement. During this time the station went through various facility upgrades and changes in ownership. One of its earliest and most successful radio announcers was Fred Lang (1910–1968), hired c. 1936, who read the news for Yankee network over WNAC through World War II: Lang also did Queen for a Day, the Tell-o-test Quiz Show, and a music show with a laid back flavor leading some to credit him with pioneering the "Easy Listening" style. However, with dwindling affiliates and an aging listening audience, the Yankee Network disbanded in 1967, with the flagship Boston station WNAC changing call letters to WRKO and becoming a Top 40 music station. The television station call letters WNAC-TV remained, and in 1968 the radio and TV operations moved to 7 Bulfinch Place, near Government Center .^[2]^[5]

World War II prisoner detention

A portion of the building was used in the 1940s by a detachment of military police for the purpose of holding Italian prisoners of war during World War II.^[2]^[5]

Storyville nightclub

In 1950, Boston native George Wein moved his Storyville nightclub to the ground floor of the Hotel Buckminster. A number of notable performers, especially jazz musicians, were featured in this new venue, including Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Red Garland, Erroll Garner, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan. Many made radio broadcasts from this location, some recordings of which still survive. In later decades, this venue hosted performers such as the Del Fuegos and the Violent Femmes. The space that housed Storyville was later occupied by a Pizzeria Uno restaurant, but as of 2020 that had also closed.^[2]^[4]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]

Renaming

A change in ownership in the 1960s led to the hotel being briefly renamed the Hotel St. George. The building was sold to Grahm Junior College in 1968 and was renamed Leavitt Hall. WNAC by this time had moved to brand new studios in Government Center but the college never made use of the radio and television production studios left behind in the basement because of financial reasons. A few years later, the building was sold again. After restorations, the building was renamed "Boston Hotel Buckminster" and has operated as a hotel and apartment building ever since.^[2]^[5] The Hotel Buckminster has 132 guest rooms and suites. Much of its advertising is based on its relatively low price for a hotel in Boston in very close proximity to attractions including Boston University, Charles River Reservation, the Emerald Necklace (especially Commonwealth Avenue Mall and the Back Bay Fens), Fenway Park, the Freedom Trail, Hynes Convention Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Lansdowne Street (home to entertainment venues including House of Blues), Newbury Street and the Prudential Center.

The hotel's official website, accessed on September 21, 2021

Kenmore Station, a subway stop on the Green Line that also has an above-ground bus terminal, is located on an adjacent city block and is the hotel's closest MBTA station.

In March 2020, the hotel announced on its Facebook page that it was closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no plans of reopening under the current management. The hotel's website was taken offline in June 2021.

In November 2021, real-estate developer IQHQ announced its acquisition of the Buckminster, serving its ongoing development plan on the adjacent lands in Fenway.^[12]

References

^ Engineering Record 19 June 1897: 64.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Boston Hotel Buckminster, "About Us"". Archived from the original on 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
^ ESPN.com, "Black Sox Gandil agrees to fix World Series"
^ ^a ^b My Secret Boston
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Grahm Junior College Alumni Page
^ "Boston's Jazz History". Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
^ iTunes, The Longest Day by the Del Fuegos
^ Charlie Parker Session Details (March 10, 1953), Storyville, Boston MA, WHDH radio broadcast
^ Juliana Hatfield, "Notes and News" Archived July 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
^ Billie Holiday at Storyville Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Uno Pizzeria and Grill in Boston's Kenmore Square Has Closed".
^ "IQHQ | IQHQ Further Expands Presence in Boston's Fenway Area with Strategic Acquisition of The Buckminster". 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2022-07-20.

[1] Engineering Record 19 June 1897: 64.

[bhb-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Boston Hotel Buckminster, "About Us"". Archived from the original on 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2010-07-25.

[3] ESPN.com, "Black Sox Gandil agrees to fix World Series"

[msb-4] My Secret Boston

[gjcmp-5] Grahm Junior College Alumni Page

[6] "Boston's Jazz History". Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2010-07-25.

[7] Tunes, The Longest Day by the Del Fuegos

[8] Charlie Parker Session Details (March 10, 1953), Storyville, Boston MA, WHDH radio broadcast

[9] Juliana Hatfield, "Notes and News" Archived July 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

[10] Billie Holiday at Storyville Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

[11] "Uno Pizzeria and Grill in Boston's Kenmore Square Has Closed".

[12] "IQHQ | IQHQ Further Expands Presence in Boston's Fenway Area with Strategic Acquisition of The Buckminster". 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2022-07-20.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Historic hotel in Boston, Massachusetts}}
 {{Infobox hotel
 |name=Boston Hotel Buckminster
-|logo=Boston Hotel Buckminster Logo.png
+|logo=[[File:Boston Hotel Buckminster Logo.png|75px]]
 |image=BostonHotelBuckminster.jpg
 |caption=Boston Hotel Buckminster with [[Sovereign Bank]] sign in foreground
 }}
-'''Boston Hotel Buckminster''' (formerly '''Hotel Buckminster''' and briefly '''Hotel St. George''') is a historic hotel in [[Boston, Massachusetts]].  It is located on the triangular intersection of [[Beacon Street]] and [[Brookline Avenue]] in [[Kenmore Square]].  It is, along with the Hotel Commonwealth one of two hotels located within one block of [[Fenway Park]].
+'''Boston Hotel Buckminster''', formerly '''Hotel Buckminster''' and briefly '''Hotel St. George''', is a historic hotel in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]. It is located on the triangular intersection of [[Beacon Street]] and [[Brookline Avenue]] in [[Kenmore Square]].  Along with the Hotel Commonwealth, it is one of two hotels located within one block of [[Fenway Park]], the oldest baseball stadium in the nation and home to the [[Boston Red Sox]] of [[Major League Baseball]].
-==Construction==
+==History==
+===Construction===
-The hotel, built in 1897, was designed for Arnold A. Rand by Boston architects [[Winslow & Wetherell]],<ref>''Engineering Record'' 19 June 1897: 64.</ref> architects of many large hotels and office buildings.  At the time of its construction, the Hotel Buckminster was one of the first hotels in Boston and the largest building in Kenmore Square.<ref name="bhb">[http://www.bostonhotelbuckminster.com/aboutus.html Boston Hotel Buckminster, "About Us"]</ref>
+The hotel, built in 1897, was designed for Arnold A. Rand by [[Boston]] architects [[Winslow & Wetherell]],<ref>''Engineering Record'' 19 June 1897: 64.</ref> architects of many large hotels and office buildings.  At the time of its construction, the Hotel Buckminster was one of the first hotels in Boston and the largest building in Kenmore Square.<ref name="bhb">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bostonhotelbuckminster.com/aboutus.html# |title=Boston Hotel Buckminster, "About Us" |access-date=2010-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026073751/http://bostonhotelbuckminster.com/aboutus.html# |archive-date=2010-10-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
-==Black Sox Scandal==
+===Black Sox Scandal===
-On September 18, 1919, on a day that the [[Chicago White Sox]] defeated the [[Boston Red Sox]] at Fenway Park 3-2, bookmaker and gambler [[Joseph J. Sullivan|Joseph "Sport" Sullivan]] went to the Hotel Buckminster room of [[Arnold "Chick" Gandil]], first baseman for the Chicago White Sox.  There they conspired to fix the [[1919 World Series]], which was to take place thirteen days later, for personal gain.  When the "[[Black Sox Scandal]]" was revealed it led to eight White Sox players, including [[Shoeless Joe Jackson]], being banned from [[Major League Baseball]] for life.  Also banned was [[Joe Gedeon]], a second baseman for the St. Louis Browns who had placed a bet on the game and later informed to White Sox owner [[Charles Comiskey]] in hopes of getting a reward.  The 1988 movie ''[[Eight Men Out]]'' is based on this scandal.<ref name="bhb"/><ref>[http://a.espncdn.com/classic/s/moment010918-gandil-blacksox.html ESPN.com, "Black Sox Gandil agrees to fix World Series"]</ref><ref>[http://www.1919blacksox.com/main.htm 1919 Black Sox timelime"]</ref><ref name="msb">[http://mysecretboston.com/see/cheat-suite My Secret Boston]</ref><ref name="gjcmp">[http://grahmjuniorcollege.com/the_square/the_square.html Grahm Junior College Alumni Page]</ref>
+On September 19, 1919, on a day that the [[Chicago White Sox]] defeated the [[Boston Red Sox]] at Fenway Park 3–2, bookmaker and gambler [[Joseph J. Sullivan|Joseph "Sport" Sullivan]] went to the Hotel Buckminster room of [[Arnold "Chick" Gandil]], first baseman for the Chicago White Sox.  There they conspired to fix the [[1919 World Series]], which was to take place thirteen days later, for personal gain.  When the "[[Black Sox Scandal]]" was revealed it led to eight White Sox players, including [[Shoeless Joe Jackson]], being banned from [[Major League Baseball]] for life.  Also banned was [[Joe Gedeon]], a second baseman for the St. Louis Browns who had placed a bet on the game and later informed to White Sox owner [[Charles Comiskey]] in hopes of getting a reward.  The 1988 movie ''[[Eight Men Out]]'' is based on this scandal.<ref name="bhb"/><ref>[http://a.espncdn.com/classic/s/moment010918-gandil-blacksox.html ESPN.com, "Black Sox Gandil agrees to fix World Series"]</ref><ref name="msb">[http://mysecretboston.com/see/cheat-suite My Secret Boston]</ref><ref name="gjcmp">[http://grahmjuniorcollege.com/the_square/the_square.html Grahm Junior College Alumni Page]</ref>
-==WNAC Radio and Television==
+===WNAC radio and television===
-In 1929, pioneer station [[WRKO|WNAC Radio]] moved to new studios inside the Hotel Buckminster, with the entrance on the Brookline Avenue side (21 Brookline Avenue), which would become the station's home for the next four decades.  WNAC made history in January 1923 by linking up with New York's WEAF for the first chain broadcast (it lasts for only five minutes), and later formed a new company known as the [[Yankee Network]].  A second station (WAAB) was added at the same location (eventually moving to Worcester as today's [[WVEI (AM)|WVEI]]).  Later, WNAC converted most of its studio space into one of Boston's first television studios and began broadcasting on Channel 7 in June, 1948.  For the next twenty years, WNAC operated an AM, FM and television station in the hotel basement.  During this time the station went through various facility upgrades and changes in ownership. One of its earliest and most successful radio announcers was Fred Lang (1910-1968), hired c. 1936, who read the news for Yankee network over WNAC through World War II: Lang also did Queen for a Day, the Tell-o-test Quiz Show, and a music show with a laid back flavor leading some to credit him with pioneering the "Easy Listening" style. After the Yankee Network ceased to be, the station became part of the [[RKO Radio Network]] and the radio station, but not the television station, changed its call letters to [[WRKO]].<ref name="bhb"/><ref name="gjcmp"/>
+In 1929, pioneer station [[WRKO|WNAC Radio]] moved to new studios inside the Hotel Buckminster, with the entrance on the Brookline Avenue side (21 Brookline Avenue), which would become the station's home for the next four decades.  WNAC made history in January 1923 by linking up with New York's WEAF for the first chain broadcast (it lasts for only five minutes), and later formed a new company known as the [[Yankee Network]].  A second station (WAAB) was added at the same location (eventually moving to Worcester as today's [[WVEI (AM)|WVEI]]).  A pioneer FM station was added in the late 1930s.  Later, WNAC converted most of its studio space into one of Boston's first television studios and began broadcasting on Channel 7 in June, 1948.  For the next twenty years, WNAC operated an AM, FM and television station in the hotel basement.  During this time the station went through various facility upgrades and changes in ownership. One of its earliest and most successful radio announcers was Fred Lang (1910–1968), hired c. 1936, who read the news for Yankee network over WNAC through World War II: Lang also did Queen for a Day, the Tell-o-test Quiz Show, and a music show with a laid back flavor leading some to credit him with pioneering the "Easy Listening" style.  However, with dwindling affiliates and an aging listening audience, the Yankee Network disbanded in 1967, with the flagship Boston station [[WRKO|WNAC]] changing call letters to [[WRKO]] and becoming a Top 40 music station.  The television station call letters [[WNAC-TV]] remained, and in 1968 the radio and TV operations moved to 7 Bulfinch Place, near Government Center .<ref name="bhb"/><ref name="gjcmp"/>
-==World War II prisoner detention==
+===World War II prisoner detention===
 A portion of the building was used in the 1940s by a detachment of [[military police]] for the purpose of holding [[Military history of Italy during World War II|Italian]] [[prisoners of war]] during World War II.<ref name="bhb"/><ref name="gjcmp"/>
-==Storyville nightclub==
+===Storyville nightclub===
-In 1950, Boston native George Wein moved his [[Storyville (nightclub)|Storyville nightclub]] to the ground floor of the Hotel Buckminster.  A number of notable performers, especially jazz musicians, were featured in this new venue, including [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Dave Brubeck]], [[Red Garland]], [[Erroll Garner]], [[Billie Holiday]], [[Charles Mingus]], [[Charlie Parker]], and [[Sarah Vaughan]].  Many made radio broadcasts from this location, some recordings of which still survive.  In later decades, this venue hosted performers such as the [[Del Fuegos]] and the [[Violent Femmes]].  The space that housed Storyville is now occupied by a [[Pizzeria Uno]] restaurant.<ref name="bhb"/><ref name="msb"/><ref>[http://www.jazzboston.org/scene/history.asp Boston's Jazz History]</ref><ref>[https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-should-be-the-one/id168331314?i=168331396 iTunes, The Longest Day by the Del Fuegos]</ref><ref>[http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/BirdSessions.aspx?s=530310 Charlie Parker Session Details (March 10, 1953), Storyville, Boston MA, WHDH radio broadcast]</ref><ref>[http://www.julianahatfield.com/news.html Juliana Hatfield, "Notes and News"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716074845/http://www.julianahatfield.com/news.html |date=July 16, 2010 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.1201music.com/store/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:billie-holiday-at-storyville&catid=52:albums Billie Holiday at Storyville]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707054810/http://www.1201music.com/store/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93%3Abillie-holiday-at-storyville&catid=52%3Aalbums |date=July 7, 2011  }}</ref>
+In 1950, Boston native George Wein moved his [[Storyville (nightclub)|Storyville nightclub]] to the ground floor of the Hotel Buckminster.  A number of notable performers, especially jazz musicians, were featured in this new venue, including [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Dave Brubeck]], [[Red Garland]], [[Erroll Garner]], [[Billie Holiday]], [[Charles Mingus]], [[Charlie Parker]], and [[Sarah Vaughan]].  Many made radio broadcasts from this location, some recordings of which still survive.  In later decades, this venue hosted performers such as the [[Del Fuegos]] and the [[Violent Femmes]].  The space that housed Storyville was later occupied by a [[Pizzeria Uno]] restaurant, but as of 2020 that had also closed.<ref name="bhb"/><ref name="msb"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jazzboston.org/scene/history.asp# |title=Boston's Jazz History |access-date=2010-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529044520/http://www.jazzboston.org/scene/history.asp# |archive-date=2010-05-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-should-be-the-one/id168331314?i=168331396 iTunes, The Longest Day by the Del Fuegos]</ref><ref>[http://www.plosin.com/milesAhead/BirdSessions.aspx?s=530310 Charlie Parker Session Details (March 10, 1953), Storyville, Boston MA, WHDH radio broadcast]</ref><ref>[http://www.julianahatfield.com/news.html Juliana Hatfield, "Notes and News"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716074845/http://www.julianahatfield.com/news.html |date=July 16, 2010 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.1201music.com/store/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:billie-holiday-at-storyville&catid=52:albums Billie Holiday at Storyville]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707054810/http://www.1201music.com/store/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93%3Abillie-holiday-at-storyville&catid=52%3Aalbums |date=July 7, 2011  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bostonrestaurants.blogspot.com/2020/06/uno-pizzeria-and-grill-in-bostons.html |title=Uno Pizzeria and Grill in Boston's Kenmore Square Has Closed}}</ref>
+===Renaming===
-==1960s to present==
-A change in ownership in the 1960s led to the hotel being briefly renamed the Hotel St. George  The building was sold to [[Grahm Junior College]] in 1968 and was renamed Leavitt Hall.  WNAC by this time had  moved to brand new studios in [[Government Center, Boston|Government Center]] but the college never made use of the radio and television production studios left behind in the basement because of financial reasons.  A few years later, the building was sold again.  After restorations, the building was renamed "Boston Hotel Buckminster" and has operated as a hotel and apartment building ever since.<ref name="bhb"/><ref name="gjcmp"/>
+A change in ownership in the 1960s led to the hotel being briefly renamed the Hotel St. George. The building was sold to [[Grahm Junior College]] in 1968 and was renamed Leavitt Hall.  WNAC by this time had  moved to brand new studios in [[Government Center, Boston|Government Center]] but the college never made use of the radio and television production studios left behind in the basement because of financial reasons.  A few years later, the building was sold again.  After restorations, the building was renamed "Boston Hotel Buckminster" and has operated as a hotel and apartment building ever since.<ref name="bhb"/><ref name="gjcmp"/> The Hotel Buckminster has 132 guest rooms and suites.  Much of its advertising is based on its relatively low price for a hotel in Boston in very close proximity to attractions including [[Boston University]], [[Charles River Reservation]], the [[Emerald Necklace]] (especially [[Commonwealth Avenue, Boston|Commonwealth Avenue Mall]] and the [[Back Bay Fens]]), Fenway Park, the [[Freedom Trail]], [[Hynes Convention Center]], the [[Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]], Lansdowne Street (home to entertainment venues including [[House of Blues]]), [[Newbury Street]] and the [[Prudential Tower|Prudential Center]].[[File:BostonHotelBuckminsterWebError.png|thumb|The hotel's official website, accessed on September 21, 2021|148x148px]][[Kenmore (MBTA station)|Kenmore Station]], a subway stop on the [[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]] that also has an above-ground [[Bus terminus|bus terminal]], is located on an adjacent [[city block]] and is the hotel's closest [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA]] station.
+In March 2020, the hotel announced on its [[Facebook]] page that it was closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no plans of reopening under the current management. The hotel's website was taken offline in June 2021.
-The Hotel Buckminster has 132 guest rooms and suites.  Much of its advertising is based on its relatively low price for a hotel in Boston in very close proximity to attractions including [[Boston University]], [[Charles River Reservation]], the [[Emerald Necklace]] (especially [[Commonwealth Avenue, Boston|Commonwealth Avenue Mall]] and the [[Back Bay Fens]]), Fenway Park, the [[Freedom Trail]], [[Hynes Convention Center]], the [[Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]], Lansdowne Street (home to entertainment venues including [[House of Blues]]), [[Newbury Street]] and the [[Prudential Tower|Prudential Center]].
+In November 2021, real-estate developer IQHQ announced its acquisition of the Buckminster, serving its ongoing development plan on the adjacent lands in Fenway.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-03 |title=IQHQ {{!}} IQHQ Further Expands Presence in Boston's Fenway Area with Strategic Acquisition of The Buckminster |url=https://iqhqreit.com/iqhq-further-expands-presence-in-bostons-fenway-area-with-strategic-acquisition-of-the-buckminster/ |access-date=2022-07-20}}</ref>
-[[Kenmore (MBTA station)|Kenmore Station]], a subway stop on the [[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]] that also has an above-ground [[Bus terminus|bus terminal]], is located on an adjacent [[city block]] and is the hotel's closest [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA]] station.
 ==References==
 {{reflist|33em}}
-[[Category:Hotels in Boston]]
 [[Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1897]]
+[[Category:Hotels in Boston]]